'Dexter' scoop: Showtime officially confirms final season

It’s finally officially official: Dexter season 8 will be the serial killer thriller’s last season. For real. For sure. For certain 100 percent.

Showtime has confirmed the leakiest secret in the TV industry Thursday by announcing this summer’s outing will be Dexter Morgan’s final trip to his kill table. The decision was widely speculated and hinted for months. Even Showtime’s parent company CEO Les Moonves couldn’t resist slipping the news into a recent interview. This is the first time the network has publicly confirmed the news. The network also released a new preview of the final season (below)

The move will bring to a conclusion a pioneering basic cable drama and Showtime’s first major original hit drama. The show’s ratings have remarkably grown for each season. Yet even die-hard fans have been longing for the show to wrap up Dex’s journey in a satisfying manner, especially after the sixth season concluded with Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) learning her beloved brother (Michael C. Hall) is a serial killer.

Yet after last fall’s seventh season outing returned to record ratings once again (its finale hit a series-high 2.8 million viewers for its first telecast), some wondered if Showtime would have the courage to pull the trigger. The network had some help making the creatively tough choice since Hall’s contract is up this year and the actor agreed that the story was ready for an ending (here’s our exclusive interview with Hall reacting to the news).

Showtime also released a new clip from the show, which returns June 30. The season includes the return of Yvonne Strahovski as Dexter’s twisted love interest, along with veteran British actress Charlotte Rampling in a key role as a neuro-psychiatrist who works with serial killers.